Intercultural Perspective on Drama Adaptation: A Case Study of "Waiting for Godot" (2023 Wuzhen Theatre Festival Edition)

Abstract

This paper conducts an in-depth study on "intercultural" drama adaptation in the context of globalization, taking the version of "Waiting for Godot" presented at the 2023 Wuzhen Theatre Festival as a case study. It explores how to make innovative and profound intercultural adaptations while retaining the spiritual core of the original work. The article proposes and applies analytical perspectives such as "form and physicality, "emphasizing the importance of preserving the "core" meaning of the original work during the adaptation process. This paper employs field research methods for on-site study, observing and analyzing "Waiting for Godot" performed at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, and proposing various intercultural adaptation methods. Additionally, this article conducted audience surveys to gather feedback from the viewers' perspective, making the research more comprehensive and in-depth. The innovation of this paper lies in the first-time application of field research methods to the study of drama adaptation, obtaining data from actual performances and audience feedback, which makes the research findings more realistic and practically valuable. Moreover, our proposed concept of preserving the "core" of drama provides a new theoretical perspective and practical direction for future drama adaptation research.